10 Things to Know About Hepatitis

Maureen Fitzerald

ATTC Network Coordinating Office/NIATx

May 14, 2018

1. May is Hepatitis Awareness Month.

One of the most important things to know is that many (millions) may be infected without knowing it. And people who use drugs and alcohol are at greater risk of getting and transmitting viral hepatitis.

"Several medications are available to treat chronic hepatitis C, including newer treatments that have been found to be more effective and have fewer side effects than previous treatment options. The latest treatment options for hepatitis C are antiviral medications. Most of the time, antiviral medication treatments involve daily medication for 12 weeks and depending on the specific medications being used, these have minimal side effects." From HHS.Gov, Hepatitis C: How is hepatitis C treated?

4. The ATTC Network offers a variety of free resources to boost your knowledge and understanding of Hepatitis C. Find out about online and in-person training, downloadable tools, and region-specific resources at HCV Current.

7. Baby boomers should get tested. The CDC recommends that everyone born from 1945-1965 get tested for HCV. Why? Find out at the CDC website, Know More Hepatitis

8. Who Can You Talk To About Hepatitis C? One of the peer counselors at Help-4-Hep.

"Help-4-Hep is designed to connect callers to a live person," says Denny Simon of the Help-4-Hep Steering Committee. "Help-4-Hep peer counselors have access to more than 30,000 discreet resources, including information on infectious disease doctors and hepatologists who are accepting new patients, where to go for testing, and financial support for treatment. Not all of this is easy to find through a Google search."

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The opinions expressed herein are the views of the authors and do not reflect the official position of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), SAMHSA, CSAT or the ATTC Network. No official support or endorsement of DHHS, SAMHSA, or CSAT for the opinions of authors presented in this e-publication is intended or should be inferred.